I Won't Stay Home
by CN Winters
Summary: Janice and Mel's first night together after their battle with the Ares in the tomb of doom.


**Title**: I Won't Stay Home

**Author**: CN Winters

**Fandom**: Xena Fanfiction, Xena fanfic, Xena uber fan fiction, Janice and Mel fanfiction, Xena Scrolls fanfiction

**Rating**: PG (just maintext/subtext-y stuff and some alcohol use.)

**Disclaimers:** Miss Covington and Miss Pappas are not mine. This story is about women who love women. If this offends you try to remember that love is love and lighten up a little.

**Synopsis**: Janice and Mel's first night together after their battle with the Ares in the tomb of doom.

**Author Note**: I watched the end of 'Sins of the Past' recently and this tale popped into my brain. I thought about making it a longer story, but we'll see if folks are interested in reading more. Enjoy!

**Feedback**: Please e-mail me at cnwinters71 at that yahooy place. I enjoy chatting with my readers out there. Your constructive comments, positive or negative, are always welcome.

**I Won't Stay Home**

It had been a long day. Janice wondered if this was how her ancestors felt each time they went toe-to-toe with Ares – sore, spent, but grateful to be alive. Yes, she was alive, but what did it mean now? She was certain she was bound to Xena's spirit. She was positive they were kin. The bond she felt for years seemed like a joke or a lie after today. She was no longer on a quest to find her family. She was tied to a useless tagalong – a woman who was never a hero…just someone who wrote about a hero and nothing more.

'The sidekick', Janice thought in revulsion.

"I don't care what she said," she muttered aloud to the empty tent. "I'm just a freakin' sidekick… or as Ares himself said, 'The Irritating Blonde'."

She took a big swig from the Jack Daniels bottle to wash away her disgust. She winced for a moment as it burned her throat. That didn't stop her from taking another drink though. She was already dressed for bed in her long-johns and wool socks. There was a nip in the air tonight… or maybe the alcohol thinned her blood to the point it just felt colder than it really was. Either way, she sat on her cot and was about to take another drink when she heard a southern drawl calling from outside her tent.

"Hellllloooo?"

_'_Christ. Now what?_'_ Janice thought in annoyance. She wanted to unwind, to have drink, to go to bed and just put the day behind her. She didn't want to babysit a debutant tonight. She quickly stowed the bottle back to its hiding spot, tucking it safely under some extra blankets beneath her cot.

"Janice? You up?" the belle tried again when she got no immediately answer.

"What?!" she barked.

Without waiting for an invitation to enter, Melinda crossed the threshold of the tent. Janice was on the verge of reprimanding the woman for not asking for approval to come in. She had even taken the breath and opened her mouth.

Before she could speak, Mel's apparel stopped her in her tracks - a copper colored Barbizon satin nightgown. Janice wondered if Aphrodite herself could look that beautiful. After all, if there's a real Ares, maybe there's a goddess of love too.

Her eyes still fixated on the gown that had a surplice neckline that plunged to the middle of the woman's ribcage, showing off her cleavage splendidly. The next thing Janice noticed, a second later, was the woman's erect nipples that protruded against the thin fabric. Her long hair flowed over one of her shoulders and for the briefest of moments she looked like Xena from Ares tomb.

"It's so cold out here," Mel began, "a-and I couldn't get the heater started in my tent a-and the bugs are as big as eagles!"

Janice realized that she was gawking. Somehow, she had to mask her wonderment at seeing Mel practically naked, so she grinned and motioned to the southerner's body with a look of levity.

"Yes. It certainly looks cold tonight." Janice snorted as she pointed to Melinda's hardened nipples.

Melinda immediately looked down to see her body reacting to the temperature.

"Oh my," she said in embarrassment. She immediately cocooned her breasts by using her arms to hide the protrusion. "I didn't pack anything warm because I figured it's so hot out here and-."

Janice's laugh deepened as she got up from her cot and walked over to a large trunk at the foot.

"Relax, Sweetheart," she told her sympathetically. "It gets cold at night here."

Maybe it was the Tennessee whiskey. Maybe it was the fact a beautiful woman was half naked in her tent. Who knows? The point is she went for it and raised her long-johns top, exposing her naked breasts and hard nipples to Melinda.

"See? It's not just you. There's a nip in the air."

Janice put her top back down and opened the trunk with a smile. As she began to search through the items she thought, 'Yeah. Cold. Sure. She doesn't need to know the truth.'

She didn't look back to Mel so she completely missed the other woman's reaction. Melinda's eyes dilated at the sight of Janice's nakedness and the smallest of grins graced her lips, which she quickly pushed aside.

"Here; use these tonight," the archeologist said as she tossed Mel a pair of her long-johns.

Melinda stood holding them for a moment as Janice waited for the woman to get dressed. Mel got another self-conscious look on her face. Janice sighed and turned around, putting her back to Melinda. At first, she heard, rather than saw, Melinda undressing. That's when she caught of glimpse of the raven haired beauty from the mirror across the canvas room. Once more, Janice found it difficult to breathe as she subconsciously licked her lips watching the naked woman.

'I can't do this', Janice thought. 'I can't keep her here. It's too much. She's on the first boat to the states tomorrow – end of story.'

"You know I'm sending you home in the morning," Janice said as she turned around again to a now-dressed Mel.

"I won't stay home," she replied.

Janice gave her a look of disapproval.

"I don't belong there, Janice."

"Mel…" she sighed.

"I'm not the little girl my parents wanted me to be," the translator told her. She looked like she wanted to say something more. Janice waited, but the words didn't come. She simply gave her a shrug. "You wouldn't understand," she finished dejectedly, not meeting Janice's eyes.

But Janice did understand - more than maybe Mel realized since she was nothing like people expected her to be either. And although they were far from alike, they were similar in some respects.

As far as sex, it was possible Mel had no interest in women at all. Maybe her parents were disappointed because she had aspirations higher than being someone's wife and mother – maybe she just wanted her independence. Regardless, Janice knew Mel had a spirit, a fire and intelligence most women possessed yet few used to their full potential.

She considered the facts. The woman traveled two continents and a freakin' ocean to be standing there right now. She did it just to meet her. Did something touch Mel in the telegram her father got years ago or was there something more? Maybe Marcus wasn't the love of Xena's life as the scroll said earlier in the day? Maybe, just maybe, they were meant to travel together… again? Only this time…things might be different. Maybe, she wasn't just related to Gabrielle, perhaps she was Gabrielle – just as Mel was Xena and maybe the two of them belonged together in more ways than one.

Janice pushed the thought aside. Maybe Mel's comment had nothing to do with any sexual longings and more about a society that pushes women to the bedroom or the kitchen and little else. Maybe she, like so many other women, wanted more. The difference was she had the guts to go after it. Janice decided she had enough of the 'maybe's' and 'perhaps's'. She knew, romantic notions or not, she wanted a strong woman like Mel in her life.

"It's not easy proving you're a different person," Janice finally said.

Mel said nothing. She just waited to see what Janice would do next.

The digger grinned and reached below the bed to grab a spare blanket.

"You can sleep over here," she said as she tossed her the blanket and patted the cot.

Mel positively beamed as she turned down the lantern next to the cot. Once the translator was laying down, Janice covered the two of them up, but there was no room between them. After some twisting and turning, they finally settled into place on their sides, sandwiched together, with Janice's arm resting across the only area it could find - Melinda's waist.

Janice couldn't swear it, but she thought she heard Mel release a content sigh and the noise brought her a peace she didn't quite expect. The days' events and the alcohol made her drowsy. Her face was practically buried into the back of Melinda's hair as she spoke in a sleepy tone.

"The war is raging and it's gonna get worse before it gets better… You know where I'm headin' there'll be trouble."

"I know," Melinda said softly yet determined.

"Then why would you want to go into that with me?" Janice asked as she rose slightly.

Melinda turned her head and grinned.

"That's what friends do," she said as her hand reached over snaked her fingers around Janice's that clung to her hip.

Janice snuggled behind Mel again.

"Alright… Friend."

**The End**


End file.
